I have bad knees and walking the dog becomes a challenge in the winter

Hi all, just was wondering if any of you have knee/joint issues and how you are coping with the pain. Now that its winter season and my pain is very bad... I been diagnoesed with PFS due to tilted patella in both knees. It is becoming a challenge to walk the dog for 30 min twice a day.. because after I am done with the walk I am in a lot more pain for hours and hours... I have asked for help on a knee forum but it seems pretty dead over there. What do you guys do to manage the pain and at the same time give the dog exercise and the fun it deserves?! Pain killers pretty much dont work on me nor do I want to take them because I am only 25 and have to consider the risks of narcotic pain meds that the doctors want me to take.... So far we play tug, fetch and training in doors, we have a small backyard. My girl loves her walks and I don't want to take that away from her but being in even more pain is not fun for me either...any advice?

When your pain is really bad in cold weather you could use a dog tread mill for the exercise. All you have to do is sit at the front while your dog runs on the tread mill. I've worked Raina on the treadmill and she seemed to really like it. Of course tug, fetch, and all that are still done for fun.

Definately try the bicycle, I don't use an attachment just my lead. I also use a knee brace which actually does help and glucosamine/chondroitin/msn suppliement. When I had an mri done on my knee they said there is no fluid behind the knee so it's bone on bone or something of the sort, the injections were not covered by my insurance and I can't swing $1,000 for the injections. I guess I'll just have to wait till they decide to replace my knee when the pain gets that bad.

To begin ..I am sorry you are suffering as you are...Getting older is not what is cracked up to be...I have tried a dog walker..She is no longer with me, but it worked for the time I needed it..perhaps that would be workable for you...

Make sure you wear the proper shoes while walking your dog. After ACL replacement, dr. told me to wear heavier shoes (hiking boots, etc.) as they are better for your knees. Also, there are exercises that can be done to help build muscles in your legs as that is very important with assisting the function of your knees.

Make sure when you do go outside that you are walking on a flat (stable) surface with little to no incline / decline.

If possible, find an area where you could toss a ball (even if you have to keep your dog on a long lead) up and down a hill. You stay stationary while you work your dog up and down the hill. If using a long lead, you could even sit on a milk crate (or something) while you allow you dog to work up and down the hill.

Try using a flirt pole. Or even create one by using a rope with a toy attached to the end. Start playing a lot of mind games.

Use your imagination and build some sort of agility games in your back yard. Something to make your dog work harder and use it's mind. You could toss a ball over a small hurdle. The dog has to go up a board, across and then back down. Simple things that will be easy & cheap (& safe!) to put together.

I have Fibromyalgia and my partner has two very bad knees. On days when we can't walk our dogs, which is many, we play with them in the back yard and get them to run a lot. Also we take them to dog parks for a treat sometimes. Our backyard looks like crap, but our dogs are healthy.

My 13 year old dog usually just sits by me and we look at each other and wish we had half the energy of the kids, lol.

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